Diving apparatus.



J. L. WATSON.

DIVING APPARATUS.

(Application led Mar. 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

'UNITE rares PATENT. Prion.

JOHN L. VATSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DIVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFKCATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,361, dated September 24, 1901.

Application nea March 1s, 1901. serial No. 51,770. (1a model.)

To all whom t 71u03/ concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented newland useful Improvements in Diving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means to enable a person to descend into and below thelevel of the water and examine the bottom and remove anything therefrom Without coming in contact with the surrounding water; and the object is to provide means to accomplish the same in a safe, efficient, and economical manner. I accomplish this obj ect by means of the mechanism described herein and shown in thel accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of my diving apparatus in working position in the water and secured to a boat anchored at the bottom and the retrieving-basket in position for use. Fig.

`2 is a front View of the lower or working section of the diving-barrel. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of the lower or working sec-U tion, showing the operator at work therein.

Referring to the drawings, A is a boat of ordinary construction, adapted to carry-the diving apparatus and to which the saine is secured by the su pporting-rope B, passing from the upper end of the diving-barrel O over a pulley to the windlass D. The anchorrope E passes from the lower section of the diving-barrel at O', where the same is secured, into and through the block F, which is made fast to the anchor G, up to and through the block H, and secured to the windlass I. The elevating-rope J, secured to the lower section of the barrel at O", passes thence lto and through the block K and is secured to the windlass L. The barrel is put into the position shownin Fig. 1 as follows: The first or working section of the barrel is brought to the side of the boat, the rope B is thrown around the section and below the upper flange thereon and is suspended thereby, the lower end of the rope E is passed through the block F on the anchor Gr and secured to the section at C', the anchorrope is unwound from the drum of the windlass I, and theanchor is permitted to drop to the bottom. Then the elevating-rope J is scf `assembling the sections of the barrel.

cured to the barrel at C". Then the rope on the windlass I is wound up, drawing the barrel down into the water in the direction of the anchor until the flange on this section is with- 5 5 in easy access, when another section is bolted thereon, a water-tight gasket being placed between the sections to make a water-tight joint. This process of building up the barrel by adding section after section is proceeded with un- 6o til the lower section rests on the bottom, as shown in the drawings. When the barrel is in the position shown in Fig. l, it may be desirable to move to a new locality without dis-v If so, the barrel may be swung up against the side of the boat by drawing in on the rcpe J and paying out on the rope E. That will throw the lower end of the barrel up against the stern of the boat and out of the water, the top 7o end being in the direction of the bow of thev boat, where it can be secured. In the lower or working section 0 are provided a number of water-tight windows M, disposed on the wall of the section at a suitable distance from the bottom for convenient observation by the operator N when ina standing position, and also windows O, suitably located for the operator when in a stooping position therein, as shown 4 in the drawings. Projecting down- 8o wardly from the offset portion of the bottom of the working section I provide a couple of flexible water-tight sleeves P, having a glove- `shaped end terminating in Iingertips arranged to receive the hand and arm of the operator, so that he can use his hands on the bottom or adjacent thereto without permitting the entrance of water into the barrel. In Fig. 2 I have shown these arms projecting from the side of the section so located as to 9o be used by the operator standing. In Fig. l

I have shown a retrieving-basket Q in position for shellwork or for receiving anything lost.. By this arrangement it willbe seen that the article taken from the bottom is placed in the basket and raised directly to the top without being taken into theK barrel, by which means the barrel is always dry. The operator descends to and ascends from the bottom of the barrel by means of a ladder compris loo ing rungs R, projecting inwardly from the inside of the various sections. These rungs project upwardly, so that they will present no obstacle to the movement upward of anything in the barrel, the purpose being to afford means for the operator to pass freely up and down the barrel Without any rope, and When the operator should for any reason become disabled at the bottom and not able to climb the ladder he may be drawn to the top by a rope, the rungs being so arranged that no pro-- jections on the rungs Will prevent the rope from passing freely upward and raising him out.

Having described my invention, What I 

